10 Great Year-Round Turkey Dishes in Orange County

Virtually every family has their own special way of preparing turkey for Thanksgiving--but what about the rest of the year, when you don't feel like picking stuffing out of the cavity of a dead bird? Not enough OC restaurants have non-Thanksgiving turkey dishes on their menu beyond turkey Cobb and sad slices of grey deli meat--but those that do usually take care to make it worth your while. So the following are turkey dishes you can enjoy outside of your dinner table and away from your annoying cousins.

10. Turkey Tacos at Del Taco

Better than advertised

OC Weekly archives

I'm still trying to figure out why last year, Del Taco and other fast-food chain put out a huge push on turkey tacos--a glut of pavo? Takeover by the turkey cartel? A move to make us less fat? Anyhoo, Del Taco's turkey tacos proved surprisingly good--but they'll never beat their half-pound bean-and-cheese burrito...

9. Bobbie at Capriotti's Sandwich Shop

Behold a Bobbie

In the grand scheme of outside chains trying to take over OC, Capriotti's falls behind Lee's but is ahead of Jersey Mike's. Their best offering is the Bobbie, which is essentially Thanksgiving dinner all year long: turkey, sauce, and stuffing. As Kristine put it, "Capriotti's doesn't joke around about portions: the shredded turkey is abundant, and the stuffing and cranberry jam are chunky enough to grab and eat with your fingers."

8. Turkey Meatloaf Sandwich at Lucca Cafe

Bring the bird back!

Photo by AMP

Okay, so this dish isn't on Lucca's current menu, which is why its ranking is so low. But let Anne Marie explain why this is usually one of the best turkey sandwiches in OC: "Made from a free range gobbler plucked locally from Shelton Farms, don't let Cathy Pavlos' choice of turkey fool you into thinking this is a light meal. Flanked by OC Baking Company francese (a ciabatta/baguette hybrid), our meat slice rests on crisp romaine heart and sweet pepper jelly. To shake things up, she includes cipoline in agrodolce, a.k.a sour and sweet onions. I love the sharp, Fiscalini cheddar melted over. It's finished with chunky tomato marmalade and a slice of house-made, applewood smoked bacon that'll bring you back for brunch." 6507 Quail Hill Pkwy., Irvine, (949) 725-1773; luccacafe.net

Gustavo Arellano is the editor of OC Weekly, author of the syndicated column "¡Ask a Mexican!", and Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America. He started at the paper with an angry, fake letter to the editor and went from there—only in Anacrime!